Now pl;aying in theaters from director John Lassiter and Brad Lewis comes the second ride of Disney/Pixar’s “Cars.”

“Cars 2” tells the story of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his best friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) on another adventure. This time McQueen decides to take Mater with him to a World Grand Prix race, hosted by Sir Miles Axelrod (Eddie Izzard).

What neither of them knows is that the race will lead to the spy world, as Finn McMissle (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) must discover who is causing racecar crashes.

Mater unknowingly becomes involved and enters into world of spies, as Finn and Holly believe him to be a valuable agent. Piece by piece, Mater and his two friends begin to uncover who is responsible, while McQueen tries to win the World Grand Prix against Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro).

What they all learn is that friendship is valuable and where you come from is the best of who you are.

Final word: Wilson is very sweet as McQueen. There isn’t much of a story for him here, but what there is works.

The center of attention for this film is Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. His character is very sweet, down to Earth and a little — well — different than the other cars. His kind heart and loyalty are what viewers will like most.

Caine is very Bond-ish as McMissle and grand to see him take a role in the film. Mortimer as Holly is a perfect match for Mater and Izzard is deviously good. Turturro as the Italian driver Bernoulli is very funny.

Other cast members include: Joe Mantegna as Grem, Thomas Kretschmann as Professor Z, Peter Jacobson as Acer, Bonnie Hunt as Sally, and fun appearances by Darrell Waltrip as Cartrip, Brent Musburger as Brent Mustangburger, and David Hobbs as David Hobbscaps.

Tubs of popcorn: I give “Cars 2” three tubs of popcorn out of five. The animation is well done and the story has a lot of twists and turns. If you liked the original “Cars” then this film will be a continuation of the enjoyment. This is in 3D but I guarantee you can see it just as well without it.

It seems this series of animated films is geared more for kids, which is a great thing. Families will have no problem enjoying themselves. Pixar and Disney continue to bring family entertainment that is fun, colorful and with a story that resonates with us all.